Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-05-18


with horror unutterablc / listcncd
with an unnatural fascination born OF
despair.
Eyes, the rail seemed to tremblc; and
now far-away, low, murmuring sound
could be heard. IL vaS The express train
coming!
Perhaps il was still miles away, but
IL was dra,cing nearer.
II could now, in my recumbent posi-
ton, with my ear pressed upon the
track, distinctly hear the PARKWAY
rumble made by the train.
Fear and agony lent me additional
strength. Ijerked my feet ND with all
my might, and came very near strang-
ling myself by the effort
Then l lay perfectly still for full
minute, endeavoring to catch my
breath. My desperate effort to break
loose had the effect of tightening tho
cord around my neck to such a degree
that at each respiration l emitted
peculiar whistling noise, not unlike tile
sound made by child suffering with
bad attack of mcmbraneous Group.
"Whcn / had sufficiently recovered
to take in my surroundings again,
heard mans voice, apparently quite
near, and listened wildly for a repcti-
ton OF the sound. 1t soon came, and
these were the words: Il heard some
body whistle, somewhere about here
"'Oh, it must have been something
else answered another voice.
mo" said the first speaker, Il know
/ heard something whistle, and if it is
the horse thieves, we'll have them be-
fore morning.
II knew that these must be the
voices of members of the vigilance COM
mittee, beating the country for the
thieves, and who, If they were made
aware of my position, would quickly
relieve me.
."And now, how frightfully near the
train seemed to be! i could hear the
steady roar as it swept onward toward
me, and with wild agony 1 once
more desperately strove with my
bonds.
This time l was so effcctually
choked by my violent exertion tina. l
quite lost my senses for | know not
how long, but gradually recovering,
and gasping heavily for breath, OPEN
ed my eyes and saw lurid tinge light
ing up the trees and the heavens, be-
yond the bend in the track.
1.-THE locomotive was bearing down
upon me with lightning speed, and
soon all would be over; few more
minutes, or perhaps seconds, and /
would be ground to pieces under the
wheels.
II now fully realized that it was use
less for me to struggle further, as had
not time TO liberate myself even if such
a thing was possible.
II had struggled SO desperately that
mind and body were in an exhausted
state, and l quietly lay there awaiting
the shock, thinking that my agony of
mind and body would soon be over.
But as this thought passed through my
mind, the voice l had heard before
again broke the stiffness: Il tell you l
heard it again, and it sounded just like
a person half-choked, and then saw a
person slowly emerge from the gloom,
very near, and little in front of me,
within range of my vision, and approach
directly towards me.
II rccollcct thinking how slowly and
deliberately this man approached, when
there was such need of great haste.
"All at once. and just rs the stranger
had drawn near me, a binding glare
came around the bend, and the roar of
the express train filled the air. At the
same instant that the headlight of the
locomotive came into view l recollect
hearing the stranger yell, in tone of
horror: John! quick! here's a man
tied doWn on The trackr
AFTER that have no clear recollec-
ton, but can dimly remember, like
seeing through haze, that some ono
savagely tore up the stakes and drag
gcd me roughly around-a binding
glare and terrific roar and rush, and
tn t was the last knew of any thing
until two days after.
IL then woke up and found myself
lying on bed within room, while
several men stood around. One of |
them, whom afterward asccrtaincd to |
be physician, spoke, when he OBJ
served that I was awake: He's COM
ing out all right. The fever has left
him. He'll soon be on his feet again
''Onc of the other persons in the |
room now addressed me: Pretty close |
call you've had, stranger! If we'd
been minute, or even a half or quar-
ter of a minute later, you'd have been
ground to powder under them car
wheels. 1t was just touch-and-go
case, and the next minute after I'd |
dragged you off the track the express
went by; was so near that the suction
knocked me over, and y0i had tainted
dead away
"There is very little more of interest
to tell. learned afterward that had
been rescued by two members of the
vigilance committee, who were on a
scout after the thieves, having clcw
TO their whereabouts.
Shortly after my rescue, other
members of the committee had discov-
cred the rendezvous of the thieves,
which was very close to where they
captured me, and surprising them, cap
tured the whole gang. My pocket
book, with my money intact, had been
taken from one Of them, probably from
my brief acquaintance, Jed.
but never saw any of them after
ward; for rs soon as was able to trav-
ell, started for home, with my hair as
white as you sec it now. IL was black
when ! was tied down upon the track,
and the men who released me say il
was snowy white when they dragged
me from the rails. " Youths Compdn-
ion.
The Etiquette Of Retiring.